Chapter 1: The Study of American Government · ... The Study of American Government. ... How much power should the American government have and what role should it ... Do you think

Chapter 1: The Study of American GovernmentChapter 1: The Study of American Government

Copyright © 2010 Cengage Learning 2

Why Is Government Necessary?

Why Is Government Necessary?

Order

Liberty

Authority and Legitimacy


Forms of GovernmentForms of Government

Totalitarian

Authoritarianism

Aristocracy

Democracy

Derived from the Greek words demos(“the people”) and kratos (“authority”).


Direct DemocracyDirect Democracy

Political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by their elected representatives

Attained most easily in small political communities.

(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)


Direct Democracy TodayDirect Democracy Today

Initiative

Referendum

Recall


Is Direct Democracy Dangerous?

Is Direct Democracy Dangerous?

Founders believed in government based on the consent of the people but were highly distrustful of anything that might look like “mob rule.”

Devised institutions to filter the popular will through elected elites.


A Democratic RepublicA Democratic Republic

Democratic republic and representative democracy really mean the same thing—government based on elected representatives—except for the historical quirk that a republic cannot have a vestigial king.

(National Portrait Gallery)


A Democratic Republic (cont.)

A Democratic Republic (cont.)

Principles of Democratic Government• Universal suffrage• Majority rule

Constitutional Democracy• Limited government


What Kind of Democracy Do We Have?

What Kind of Democracy Do We Have?

Majoritarianism

Elite theory

Pluralism


Fundamental ValuesFundamental Values

Political Socialization

Liberty versus Order

Equality versus Liberty• Economic Equality• Property Rights and Capitalism


Tensions Over Big Government

Tensions Over Big Government

How much power should the American government have and what role should it play in the lives of citizens?

Katrina

Taxes

National Security Policies


Ideologies:Liberalism versus

Conservatism

Ideologies:Liberalism versus

Conservatism Conservatives

Liberals

Economic and Social Positions?


A Four-Cornered Ideological GridA Four-Cornered Ideological GridIn this grid, the colored squares represent four different political ideologies. The vertical choices range from cultural order to cultural liberty. The horizontal choices range from economic equality to economic liberty.


Ideologies:The Traditional Political

Spectrum

Ideologies:The Traditional Political

Spectrum Socialism

Libertarianism


Classical LiberalismClassical Liberalism

Liberal once meant limited government and no religion in politics.


The Traditional Political Spectrum

The Traditional Political Spectrum


Other IdeologiesOther Ideologies

Communism

Fascism


Ideologies in the Islamic World

Ideologies in the Islamic World

While communism and fascism are the historical ideologies that totalitarianism was coined to describe, our current international concern is with the radical and fundamentalist interpretation of Islam known as Islamism.


A Demographic Profile of America

A Demographic Profile of America

“Here is not merely a nation but a teeming Nation of nations”

Walt Whitman


Obama Election NightObama Election Night

Click the icon to open the movieVideo Supplied by Motion Gallery


Questions Questions

Was Obama’s election a direct result of the changing demographic breakdown in the U.S.?

Does ethnic background become more or less important for future candidates?

Where does Obama fall on the ideological grid?


Immigration and Ethnic Diversity

Immigration and Ethnic Diversity

Source: Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, 2005, Table 1. (www.usics.gov)


Illegal Immigrants Illegal Immigrants

SOURCE: Washington Post, National Weekly Edition, May 29–June 4, 2006, 8.


Religious Diversity Religious Diversity

Although a large majority (83%) of Americans still identify as Christians, Americans now claim affiliation with 1600 different religious affiliations and denominations.


The Changing Face of America

The Changing Face of America

Aging

Population Growth

Ethnic Change• Changes in Hispanic Community

Women in the Workforce


Click here to go to the U.S. POPClock Projection

The U.S. PopulationThe U.S. Population

© The New Yorker Collection 1992. J.B. Handelsman from cartoonbank.com. All rights reserved.


The Aging of America The Aging

of America *Data for 2025 and 2050 are projections.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census.


Changing U.S. PopulationChanging U.S. Population


Questions for Critical Thinking


Do you think a direct democracy is a rational option for governing in the United States?

Describe the forms of direct democracy that exist and discuss the pros and cons of these mechanisms.




Do you think some people in American society equate security and order with protection against fellow citizens who are racially, culturally, or economically different?

Do you think protection against discrimination should be considered a security issue as well as an issue of equality?


Web Links Web Links

U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Chapter 1: The Study of American Government · ... The Study of American Government. ... How much power should the American government have and what role should it ... Do you think

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